Tag Archives: slow cooker

Fall weather is the perfect excuse to whip up a scrumptious meal in your slow cooker. Nothing says “comfort food” like coming home to a hot, ready-to-eat meal! I love my slow cooker–it helps me put healthy, inexpensive and delicious meals on the table no matter how busy I am. Which got me thinking: how in the world did anyone ever get by without one?!

Hay-Boxes and Bean Pots

Before there were slow cookers, there were hay-boxes. These clever devices were just wood boxes filled with hay–nothing fancy. The cook would get a meal boiling on the stove, then remove the pot from the heat and place it directly into the hay box. The hay would retain the heat so that the food could keep cooking until dinnertime. What a great idea!

The first modern slow cooker was introduced in 1970–the “bean pot”. Little did they know that someday, families everywhere would be using slow cookers for so much more than beans!

An old-fashioned hay box

Slow Cookers for Everyone

These days, there are plenty of slow cookers to fit your family’s needs and budget. There are even digital versions like the one below–all you have to do is set the programmable timer and walk away. The cooker selects the right temperature and self-adjusts to warming mode at the end of the cooking time.

Ginny’s 6.5 Quart Digital Slow Cooker

Some people prefer to keep it simple with just “Hi” and “Lo” settings…and a pretty pattern to liven up the kitchen!

Ginny’s 6.5-qt Decorator Slow Cooker

Or maybe one cooker just isn’t enough for your big family or frequent potlucks.

3-in-1 Slow Cooker

Here’s a cooker that has two different inserts, one for roasting and one for slow cooking, doubling the possibilities.

Ginny’s Roaster/Slow Cooker

And of course, if you’re taking it to a potluck or family dinner, you’ll want a travel bag to transport it easily with no spillage!

Slow Cooker Travel Bag

All this talk of slow cookers is making me hungry…how about you? Here’s a mouthwatering recipe from one of our customers. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!